How to Drive More Customers to Your Local Business With Social Geotagging

Do you run a local business? Maybe a restaurant, coffee shop or retail outlet? Do you want a fun way to encourage repeat traffic to your business? Does the idea of your customers talking about your business to all their friends sound interesting? If so, you need to pay attention to Foursquare and Geotagging.

What is Geotagging?

Simply put, geotagging is the process of attaching geographical data longitude and latitude to photographs, videos, websites, status updates and even emails. This geotagged data shows where the photos, videos, etc., were created or modified.

via How to Drive More Customers to Your Local Business With Social Geotagging | Social Media Examiner.

Scoble, Secretariat and Mister Ed | Business is Personal

A while back, Robert Scoble wrote a terrific post on Scobleizer about the worst things that startups do.I suggest you hop over there and check it out even if you aren’t in the technology business. When you’re done, come back so we can apply Robert’s comments to your not-a-startup small business. Psst…While you’re over there, I suggest you subscribe to his blog, even if you aren’t in the tech world. You’ll be glad you did.Now that you’re back, let’s look a little closer at Robert’s list because it isnt just startups that make these mistakes. Here’s a small business angle on his list of mistakes:

via Scoble, Secretariat and Mister Ed | Business is Personal.

Social Media Posting problems

Used to be, workplace gossip and tales of weekend carousing were shared at the water cooler, in the break room or over beers after work.

Now, through the miracle of the Internet, such news can be posted on sites such as Twitter, MySpace and Facebook and shared instantly with friends, virtual and otherwise, along with the rest of the world.

This brave new world is raising a host of concerns for employers, who want to tap into the power of social media to connect with customers and clients, but who can’t always control how it is used and what is said.

The lines between personal and professional are easily blurred with social media, prompting some organizations to adopt policies providing guidance on how and when employees post status updates or tweet their friends— or in some cases, banning social media sites outright in the workplace.

via Business: Home | “Posting problems” | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon.

Create a policy for social media

Question: I am concerned about potential problems for my business from use by my employees of social media such as Facebook and My-Space. What should I do?

Answer: The key step for a business is to avoid leaving a vacuum. Adopt a social media policy, tell employees what it is and enforce it fairly and uniformly. The policy must cover two aspects of social media: potentially damaging personal use and the business uses of social media.On the personal use side, you want to address five core concerns: 1 personal responsibility, 2 possible confusion of personal comments with company positions, 3 compliance with other company policies, 4 protection of the company, its employees and customers and 5 interference with job performance.

via Business: Home | “Create a policy for social media” | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon.

10 Things You Can Do to Make Your Online Business Money | Small Business Trends

How’s the first quarter of 2010 — and the rest of the year — looking for you and your business?

Are you primed and ready to make money this year?

Have you put a plan in place to promote your business and maximize your success?

Here are ten quick, easy-to-implement things you can do that will guarantee your online business will be making you money this year:

Write down your personal affirmation for the month and the year.

The goal here is to help you step back from the hustle and bustle and stay focused on what’s important to you.

Get your story, idea, product, or service announcement out into the marketplace seven different ways, all at once.

Choose from these options to make a powerful impact:

via 10 Things You Can Do to Make Your Online Business Money | Small Business Trends.

Do You Know Your Customers Enough to be a Social Media Hit | Guest Posts | Social Media Consulting – Convince & Convert

Being relevant to customers isn’t about just using their first name in an email. True relevance grows from a deep understanding of what motivates your customers, and ensuring that every contact they have with your organization shows to what degree your company values their reasons for choosing you. That deep respect for what drives your customers and prospects can’t be faked, either – you either live it or you don’t, and they can tell the difference.

The best example I’ve ever seen of this is from a company called ThinkGeek, which prides itself on carrying the most robust collection of unique, thought-provoking products with the biggest nerd appeal on the planet. They have 3 million unique visitors and 35 million page views every month.

ThinkGeek has a robust involvement in social media, with over 68,000 followers on Twitter, 50,000 fans on Facebook and over 11,000 subscribers to their channel on YouTube, which features company-posted videos demonstrating items like their proximity-meter t-shirts and fake-blood-filled, realistically gummy heart for Valentine’s Day.

They are successful because they unabashedly have the same interests as their customers, and they are incredibly consistent across all outposts. Here’s what they’re doing right:

via Do You Know Your Customers Enough to be a Social Media Hit | Guest Posts | Social Media Consulting – Convince & Convert.

7 Steps to Creating a Social Media Strategy

1. Assess where you are now.

How knowledgeable are you about Social Media? What site(s) are you currently using? Are you currently engaging with others through Social Media? What are you using Social Media for: the keep up with friends/acquaintances, to share photos or videos, to post information, to gain information, to meet new people, to network within your industry? How comfortable are you using Social Media? How much time are you willing to invest in learning?

2. Find out where your customers already hang out online.

Survey your customers to find out what sites they are already using and to what degree. Ask where they might be interested in connecting with you. If your customers aren’t on Twitter, then there’s no point in you being there.

Follow the link for the rest….

via 7 Steps to Creating a Social Media Strategy.

Why Wineries, Restaurants & Hospitality Businesses need to be on Foursquare

In social media, it seems that things are happening faster and faster, and we are bombarded with changes and new technology constantly. Even Google has jumped into the game with the recent launch of Google Buzz. As a business owner or manager especially in our industry, where people tend to work long and hard, how do you find the time to use all the social media that everyone is telling you to be using? Well, that may be a different conversation, and a long and hard one at that.Today, I want to tell you about foursquare, and why your business wants to be there, now. In fact, you probably already are, whether you know it or not; another reason you want to claim your business’s online identity. You’ll be happy to know that there’s no huge time commitment, and its fast and easy to learn. Nope, you won’t even have to hire a social media consultant to do it for you.Foursquare is applicable to many businesses, however it was really created for restaurants, bars and similar businesses, its a no-brainer for any winery with a tasting room or even specialty retailers. The claim right on the foursquare home page is “If you own a bar or restaurant, foursquare can help you find new ways to connect with your customers.” What is it? foursquare is a location based social mobile network, that also adds some gaming elements.How foursquare works and why you should care:

via Why Wineries, Restaurants & Hospitality Businesses need to be on Foursquare.

How To Get More From Google Alerts

As a small business owner, I prefer simple tools. I like having one tool that I can push to the limits over a slew of them that I have to manage. It makes my life a little easier and m processes more streamlined. Which is why I’m a huge fan of using Google Alerts.You’re probably already very familiar with Google Alerts. Google lets you set up as many Alerts as you’d like on as many different topics as you’d like. You tell them what to track, what kinds of content to track News, Blogs, Video, Groups, or Comprehensive , how often you want it and they’ll create you a list every day and send it to you via email or RSS. Google Alerts have always been a super easy way to track brand mentions and listen in to conversations, but that’s not all they can be used for. I thought I’d break down a few of my favorite ways to use Google Alerts and see if maybe some of them could help you as well.Here are six ways I use Google Alerts.

via How To Get More From Google Alerts | Small Business Trends.

The 39 Social Media Tools I’ll Use Today

Amazingly, it seems like there’s more social media tools than Jonas brothers, with the gap growing every day.

I don’t feel the need to experiment with every new piece of software that emerges from its chrysalis, but I do feel a responsibility to you and my clients to have some idea of what’s out there and what’s worthwhile.

Also, at my social media speaking engagements hither and yon I’m often asked what tools I use. So, I took a personal inventory and created this overview of the 39 social media tools I use daily.

via The 39 Social Media Tools I’ll Use Today | Blogging and Content Creation | Social Media Consulting – Convince & Convert.